The Department of Government Enablement announced the AiNative programme on October 7, partnering with OpenAI, Microsoft and Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence to develop practical AI capabilities across the public sector and eventually among the wider population.
The initiative follows the deployment of Microsoft 365 Copilot licences to 35,000 government employees and complements a broader transformation involving more than 100 operational AI applications across over 40 government entities.
Officials said AiNative would provide employees with skills to apply artificial intelligence responsibly in everyday administrative work, decision-making and public service delivery. An initial government pilot is under way, with public access planned through subsequent implementation phases.
The training programme represents another stage of Abu Dhabi’s Digital Strategy 2025–2027, which allocates Dh13 billion towards digital infrastructure, automation, cloud computing and artificial intelligence integration.
The strategy targets complete digitisation and automation of government processes, full adoption of sovereign cloud infrastructure and the introduction of more than 200 AI solutions across public services.
Amr Kamel, General Manager of Microsoft UAE, said the programme would help employees develop practical skills and confidence in using AI responsibly, translating technological capabilities into productivity improvements and stronger government services.
Eric Xing, President of Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, emphasised lifelong learning and the importance of developing human judgement alongside technological capabilities.
The employee development programme builds upon July’s Frontier Employee Programme, through which Microsoft 365 Copilot was deployed to 26,000 civil servants across 27 government entities.
Combined with 9,000 existing licences, the deployment expanded access to the productivity platform to 35,000 employees. The government has positioned Copilot as a standard workplace tool for integrating generative AI into administrative operations.
The initiative incorporates training and certification requirements, with Advanced Data Residency provisions designed to ensure AI processing takes place within the UAE.
Wesam Lootah, Director General of GovDigital at the Department of Government Enablement, said the deployment was intended to establish secure, governed and sustainable AI adoption throughout government institutions.
Abu Dhabi’s transformation extends beyond workplace software to the infrastructure supporting public administration. Its sovereign cloud programme involves Microsoft and Core42, a subsidiary of technology group G42.
The partnership aims to migrate government operations onto cloud infrastructure with local data controls, supporting digital sovereignty while enabling departments to deploy advanced applications.
Government officials have identified cybersecurity, data protection and institutional oversight as essential components of the transition. Chief Data and AI Officer positions have been established across government entities to oversee adoption, governance and innovation.
Operational deployment has already reached more than 100 AI use cases across over 40 entities, according to figures released by the Department of Government Enablement in September 2025.
Applications include predictive service delivery, automated compliance guidance, resource allocation and multilingual assistance. These systems are intended to reduce administrative procedures and make interactions with government departments more efficient.
The TAMM digital government platform is central to the public-facing transformation. Its fourth version was introduced as a system capable of coordinating services across departments and responding to individual circumstances through contextual AI assistance.
Its capabilities include predictive processing for routine approvals, personalised recommendations and assistance in more than 15 languages. The government intends to make services accessible without requiring residents to navigate multiple departments or submit repetitive applications.
Officials have presented the transition as a means of supporting government employees rather than replacing human interaction, particularly where complex circumstances require personal assistance or judgement.
The wider digital strategy also includes a unified enterprise resource planning platform intended to streamline administrative functions and improve coordination between government entities.
Abu Dhabi has projected that its digital transformation programme could contribute more than Dh24 billion to the emirate’s gross domestic product by 2027 and support the creation of over 5,000 employment opportunities. These figures remain government forecasts rather than realised outcomes.
The government has also identified partnerships with the Advanced Technology Research Council and Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence as supporting elements of its technology and workforce development plans.
AiNative will initially operate within government institutions before expanding to the wider public, with training designed to accommodate different levels of technical knowledge and professional responsibilities.
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